Laverne Cox on Cisgender Actors Playing Trans Roles

Okay, now put your hand down. You'll need it to scroll through this interview, where we speak with the actress and human rights advocate about her beauty routine, her memories of working for Diddy, and her thoughts on cisgender actors playing trans parts. (Hilary Swank, we're looking at you.)

I love your dress! Is it Desi—

Desigual? Yes. You pronounce it day-see-GWAHL. I love saying that word. It sounds so fun.

Like a really good cocktail.

Or a really good designer.

Nice spin. Spoken like a fashion pro. Will we be seeing lots of you this week?

No, I'm doing very minimal appearances this week. I'll be at Prabal Gurung and Opening Ceremony on Sunday, and then I'm out of town. And this—omigod, I just realized! This, Desigual, is my first show this season.

You studied creative writing in high school, right?

I did. When I went to the Alabama School of Fine Arts, I started school as a creative writing major. But I'd been dancing since I was eight years old, and the thing is, if you're a dancer, you never stop dancing. So I changed my major, because I knew I would always be a dancer. Like even though i'm not taking class now, I still dance.

But especially with the writing background, I have to ask, when are you writing a book?

I've thought about it, and I've talked to some people. We have to see if it's the right thing and the right time. Writing a book is quite an undertaking and I wouldn't want to do it just to do it. It will have to be very good.

What about writing a screenplay or even an Orange is the New Black episode?I tried writing scripts years ago, but you know, I'm so much better at story editing. Acting, producing, that's what I can do really well.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

You got your start on the reality show I Want to Work for Diddy. Do you still want to work for Diddy, in any capacity?No. Absolutely not… That show though was a big step for me. Up until then, I was just focused on acting. Doing reality TV made me think of myself as a personality in a way that I wouldn't have done otherwise. And partly because of that, VH1 gave me a show called Transform Me. My own show! So trying to work for Diddy was still one of the greatest experiences of my life, even though I didn't "win." It opened a lot of doors for me.

It must be an honor to represent the trans community. But anywhere you go, it seems like someone stops you on the street to talk. Do you ever wish you could be "off duty" for a day

Yes! All the time! And I think anyone in my situation would be crazy if they didn't feel pressure. I don't know anyone else who's been through this, which I guess is part of why I feel so much pressure—tons—and responsibility towards the entire trans community, but also towards the greater world.

How do you cope with that kind of pressure?

My brother [the multimedia artist M Lamar]. He's so grounding. He's like, "Laverne, you're an actress. You know you need to create space for yourself, and that's what you've been doing." At the same time, both of us know that you can't open a door and then just slam it behind you. You want to leave the door open for others! You want to help bring up other people in your community. But ultimately I'm an actress. And it's so deeply affirming to have someone so close to me remind me of that. We want to save the world. We want to change the world. But I'm still an actress at the very beginning of my career in a lot of ways. And I need to focus on that now.

Both Elle Fanning and Eddie Redmayne have recently come under fire for playing trans characters. Do you think only trans actors should play trans roles?

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

I think only good actors should play those roles. [Laughing.] I haven't seen Elle's movie trailer yet, so I feel ill equipped to discuss it… But I did see the trailer for The Danish Girl and I am so excited. Lili Elbe's story is so important. I hope they get it right. I don't know what that even means, but I hope they do. I was in Berlin for the very first time ever this year, and I got to see photos of Hirschfeld's clinic that was burned down by the Nazis. He had a clinic for human sexuality. Lili got her first gender confirming procedure there.

They were doing this in the '20s?!

Isn't it fascinating to think if it weren't for fascism, if the Nazis hadn't burned so many books, Weimar Berlin was a very accepting space for queer people, for trans people. Lili was able to change her gender marker and live as a woman all the way back in the 1920s! And where would we be as a community, even just in terms of medical progress, if all that knowledge hadn't been suppressed by evil people? So that there's a movie about trans history, I am so excited.

And Eddie Redmayne playing a trans role…?

Eddie Redmayne is brilliant. He is a brilliant actor. I cannot wait to see him do the role. I think he will be great.

Can we talk about your eyelashes? Because they're epic.

Deja Smith is my makeup artist, and sometimes I quiz her about what she's doing. But you know what I do? I use bonding glue. The glue you use for hair weaves. I don't know if you want to suggest that in your magazine, because I don't know if it's safe, so I don't want to suggest it to any people. But yes, I personally use bonding glue. But with regular eyelash glue, you have to realize lashes take time. You can't rush it. You have to wait after you apply the glue until it's a little bit tacky, a little bit sticky. And then you put the lash on. And everyone knows that, everyone's read it somewhere, but they still think they can rush. At least I do! That's where it goes wrong.

A Part of Hearst Digital Media
ELLE participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.